Biobased gelatins were used to improve the compressive properties and flammability of poly(vinyl alcohol)/montmorillonite (PVA/MMT) aerogels, fabricated using a simple and environmentally friendly freeze-drying method. Because of the excellent compatibility and strong interfacial adhesion between PVA and gelatin, the compressive moduli of aerogels were enhanced dramatically with the incorporation of gelatin. PVA/MMT/porcine-gelatin aerogels exhibit compressive modulus values as much as 12.4 MPa, nearly 300% that of the control PVA/MMT aerogel. The microstructure of the PVA/MMT/gelatin aerogels shows a three-dimensional co-continuous network. Combustion testing demonstrated that with the addition of gelatin, the self-extinguishing time of the aerogel was cut by half and the limiting-oxygen-index values increased to 28.5%. The peak heat-release rate, obtained from cone calorimetry, also decreased with the incorporation of gelatin. Thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that the gelatins slowed the sharp decomposition of the PVA matrix polymer and increased the thermal stability of the aerogels at the major decomposition stage of the composite aerogels. These results indicate that as a green, biobased material, gelatin could simultaneously improve the mechanical properties and the properties of flame retardancy.

中文翻译：

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改善聚乙烯醇/粘土气凝胶强度和阻燃性的绿色方法：掺入生物基明胶

生物基明胶用于改善聚乙烯醇/蒙脱土（PVA / MMT）气凝胶的压缩性能和可燃性，该气凝胶使用一种简单且环保的冷冻干燥方法制成。由于PVA和明胶之间具有出色的相容性和很强的界面粘合性，因此通过掺入明胶可以显着提高气凝胶的压缩模量。PVA / MMT /猪明胶气凝胶的压缩模量值高达12.4 MPa，几乎是对照PVA / MMT气凝胶的300％。PVA / MMT /明胶气凝胶的微观结构显示三维共连续网络。燃烧测试表明，加入明胶后，气凝胶的自熄时间缩短了一半，极限氧指数值增加到28.5％。峰值放热率 从锥形量热法获得的蛋白质，也随着明胶的掺入而减少。热重分析表明，在复合气凝胶的主要分解阶段，明胶减缓了PVA基质聚合物的急剧分解并提高了气凝胶的热稳定性。这些结果表明，作为绿色的生物基材料，明胶可以同时改善机械性能和阻燃性能。